Tuesday 24 April 1660

This morning I had Mr. Luellin and Mr. Sheply to the remainder of my oysters that were left yesterday. After that very busy all the morning. While I was at dinner with my Lord, the Coxon of the Vice- Admiral came for me to the Vice-Admiral to dinner. So I told my Lord and he gave me leave to go. I rose therefore from table and went, where there was very many commanders, and very pleasant we were on board the London, which hath a state-room much bigger than the Nazeby, but not so rich. After that, with the Captain on board our own ship, where we were saluted with the news of Lambert’s being taken, which news was brought to London on Sunday last. He was taken in Northamptonshire by Colonel Ingoldsby, at the head of a party, by which means their whole design is broke, and things now very open and safe. And every man begins to be merry and full of hopes. In the afternoon my Lord gave a great large character to write out, so I spent all the day about it, and after supper my Lord and we had some more very good musique and singing of “Turne Amaryllis,” as it is printed in the song book, with which my Lord was very much pleased. After that to bed.

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Though it has been clarified before, it bears repeating (mainly because I keep forgetting) that a "character" means a "code or cipher," or by extension a coded message. Amid the word's many other meanings, by Johnson's time someone of Pepys's standing could write out "a character" for a former employee seeking a new post---i.e., a letter of recommendation, a reference.

... the release of tension that has been in the air since Lambert escaped the Tower and the fanatiques resumed their strut. Surely they NOW believe that the Gods are on their side. They weren't too sure there for a while.

We all naturally have our own built-in plot spoilers since we know how things came out. I think it much too easy to discount the uncertainty behind these men's actions on behalf of the Restoration and their fear that the tide could turn again.

Sam's diary is written in a slightly personalised version of Shelton's 'Short Writing and Tachygraphy', which was published in London in 1626. (See L&M Vol 1, pp. xlviii ff.). It was designed to enable people to write quickly rather than secretly.

The character that Sam uses when writing out confidential letters for Mountagu is a code, designed to preserve secrecy. It is plainly a laborious process to turn plain text into character and we saw, in the earlier entries, that on occasion Sam did not manage to encode his exemplars to Mountagu's satisfaction and had to do the work over again.

Presumably Sam's reason for choosing to use shorthand for the diary is that he was primarily interested in immediacy of record ( with an element of discretion) rather than secrecy at the expense of immediacy.

Consider Samuel's situation in light of the current state of affairs in Iraq (sorry to bring the 21st century into this): The repressive government has fallen, various groups of "fanatiques" are competing for influence, and nobody knows how it will come out. I'm not trying to make some political point, but only to emphasize Eric's insight about reading this in light of the author who did not know the end of the story.

Born in London in 1611, Thomas Brewer, composer and viol player, served in the household of Sir Nicholas Lestrange at some point in his career; he seems to have died sometime between 1660 and 1670. Aside from instrumental works, he wrote a good many airs and catches. "His best-known song," says "New Grove" (3.273), "is probably the glee 'Turn, Amaryllis, to thy swain'". Anyone have any luck finding the Shirley text?

Another less elaborate source for "Turne Amarillis" with pretty much the same general ideaCatch that Catch can (1652): Turne Amarillis to thy Swaine, thy Damon calls thee back againe. Here is a pretty pretty Arbor by, where Apollo, cannot spy: there lets sit, and whilst I play, sing to my pipe a round delay. (Again the English Poetry Database)

Phil has provided an Also on this day link to Wills In Earl’s Colne, Essex (above, right) , the form and particulars of which wills I recommend you read. Clicking on a name there and see all the wills he (most often) made. The link today:http://linux02.lib.cam.ac.uk/earlscolne/probate...

On the uncertainty mentioned by Eric and Nix above, Wikipedia have a nice, two-sentence summary of the political events over the last 6 months:

"After the second dissolution of the Rump, in October 1659, the prospect of a total descent into anarchy loomed as the Army's pretence of unity finally dissolved into factions. Into this atmosphere General George Monck, Governor of Scotland under the Cromwells, marched south with his army from Scotland."